Tag: feeling inadequate

When You Feel Inadequate and Overwhelmed

Judges 7

March 1

If you’re like me, you can definitely relate to the story of Gideon. He feels completely inadequate to carry out the commission that God has given him, to defeat the invading Midianites. He constantly asks God for a sign that He has really chosen him for this task (6:17, 36-40), and God responds each time. Then, the moment finally arrives for Gideon to do what God has commanded him, and God tests his faith even more. He takes the Israelite army and shrinks it from 32,000 men to 10,000, and then to just 300… and they didn’t even have real weapons! (v. 16) Gideon literally has no shot of destroying the large army of Midianites, about 120,000 men, at least from a human’s perspective. Yet, God does what He says He is going to do, and Gideon and his 300 men are successful in delivering the people from the Midianites.

How many of you have felt like Gideon did? God has called you to a pretty monumental task, one that you feel ill-prepared for, and yet He was faithful to get you through it? Especially as a pastor, I feel this deeply on a daily basis, as almost all pastors do. I feel this as a husband and father, called to take care of my family without much clear guidance on how to do just that. I feel this just as a Christian, called to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the whole world, but not always knowing how that works. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by what God has called you to do, you’re not alone; and God is faithful to work with us.

-Talon Paul

Questions to Consider

  1. Is God calling you to something bigger that you think is impossible? Take a moment to pray for peace and the faith to believe that your Father will get you through it. Follow through with His plan and He will be with you.
  1. Are you overwhelmed by what is going on around you right now? Take comfort in Gideon’s story. God always takes care of His people, even if the answers aren’t immediately available.
  1. Do you feel inadequate? You’re not alone. Over and over again, God chooses the most inadequate people in the Bible for His mission, so that He gets all the glory. You are exactly the right person that God wants.
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

God Calls and Qualifies

1st Samuel 9-12

1 Samuel 10 9 NIV

Have you ever found yourself in a position totally unprepared or unqualified? When I was in college for my bachelor’s degree, I took Cellular & Molecular Biology as part of my program to become a secondary science teacher. It just so happened that this was the same course that was required for pre-med students. Somehow, I ended up getting an invitation to join a study group with these pre-med students. After 5 minutes with these people, I realized that they were a completely different caliber of student – I was so out of my depth.

There have been other times in my life when my own inexperience and inadequacies seemed to cast a blinding glare onto the responsibilities that I had to carry out. Even now, after 23 years of experience in education, there are times when I have no clue on how to handle a given situation.
This is how I relate to Saul being approached by Samuel to become king of Israel. His response is that he’s a nobody, from the smallest tribe and his clan is the least of all. How is it that he has been selected to rule over an entire nation?
But isn’t that just like God to do something like that? God seems to select those who are the most unlikely to be successful. Why does He do this? What I have learned, is that it makes me more dependent on God and less likely to take the credit.
Being part of the FUEL leadership team for many years, I have seen time and time again when a situation developed that was bigger than our resources and everything ended up working out because we depended on God. Anyone out there remember the year that we stopped going to Taylor University and started going to Manchester University? Yeah, we weren’t sure if FUEL was going to happen that year. But with a lot of prayer (and hard work by the directors) we were able to gather again because God pointed us in the direction we needed to go. God provided us with exactly the right site, to work the best conference staff, to continue to return for many years.
I recently read a phrase that I think is appropriate here: “God doesn’t call the qualified; God qualifies the called.” If you’re willing to be used by God, you will find yourself in circumstances that seem way out of your league. While you may not be so confident in your abilities, know that God is more than able to see you through. After all, it’s His reputation on the line and God never fails.
Bethany Ligon
Today’s Bible reading passage can be read, or listened to, at https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+9-12&version=NIV
Tomorrow’s reading will be 1st Samuel 13-14 as we continue on the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan
%d bloggers like this: